Dragon Scale
by Jedi Jelsa777
Summary: Lucy was kidnapped by wizards when an unlikely hero came to her rescue. AU fantasy world.


**Happy Valentine's Day everyone!**

The dragon flew over the kingdom, performing loop-de-loops and other flying stunts, just enjoying life. All was right in his world and he felt so free, it was exhilarating! Suddenly his perfect day was shattered by a scream. The scream wasn't one of pain, but fear, leading him to believe that the person was in trouble. He aimed for the sound and pulled his wings in tight so that he would drop fast, snapping them open when he got close enough to view what was going on.

A girl with golden hair was running barefoot through a field, looking back over her shoulder at a man. The dragon caught a whiff of smell coming from them and mixed in with the fear of the girl was one he knew all too well, magic. He snarled at the thought of this wizard chasing down a girl and, by the smell of it, frightening her with his magic.

Sure enough, as he watched the wizard waved his hand a pack of wolves appeared in front of the girl. She skidded to a stop, not knowing they were mere apparitions and that if she were to push through them they would disappear. He had seen enough, he had to help this girl. He swooped down, landing in-between the two of them and snarled "Stop wizard. Why do you chase this girl?" "Her father is looking for her safe return, move aside dragon." The wizard replied.

The dragon narrowed his eyes, now that he was closer he recognized the wizard and he wasn't one he would send after anyone he wanted safely returned. But rather than say that, the dragon said "You have entered dragon land uninvited, I could burn you to a crisp if I so desired under the rules of the treaty, but I am feeling hospitable today. Turn around now and you can have your life." The wizard paled for a moment, though unbridled rage at being thwarted from finishing his pursuit burned bright in his eyes.

Still, he said nothing but turned to leave as the dragon demanded. The dragon watched until the wizard entered the forest before turning his attention to the girl. When he had done so, he saw that she had fainted. "Crap!" he said, before gently picking her up and lifting them both up into the skies and towards his home. His mother would know what to do.

XXX

His parents were outside of their home in their human forms as he flew into view, starting to shift as he landed. "Natsu, what do you have there?" his father asked before Natsu had fully shifted so Lucy's form was still hidden. "A girl I saved from a wizard, though when I had turned around from confronting him she had passed out. I figured mother would know how to help her." Grandeeney nodded and told him to follow her into the house, Natsu being as gentle as possible as he did so.

His brother, Zeref, was about to tease Natsu about bringing a girl home finally when he saw the condition of her and wisely kept his mouth shut as his wife, Mavis, asked "Is she alright?" "We're going to find out, can either of you go and fetch Wendy? If she requires healing this will be a good learning opportunity for her." Grandeeney replied. Mavis and Zeref both got up from their seats and moved to do as she asked.

Meanwhile Grandeeney opened a door to small room that she kept for when one of her patients needed around the clock care, but it also doubled as a guest room. Natsu set her down before being shooed out of the room by her mother. As he was exiting, Mavis was returning with Wendy and they both entered the room to help Grandeeney, Zeref and Igneel joining Natsu in waiting to see how the girl was doing.

A few minutes passed before Grandeeney and Mavis exited the room. "She had some minor injuries, probably gained while running from the mage, but mostly she is exhausted and dehydrated. Wendy is sitting with her until either the girl wakes up or one of us takes over so that we can be sure there is nothing else we missed." Grandeeney informed the men. "But she is going to be okay, right?" asked Natsu. His mother nodded her head and the men relaxed a little, all of them had been worried the wizard had gotten off one more, life threatening spell before Natsu interfered.

XXX

Hours later, the girl's eyes fluttered open and she took in the small room that she was in. For a moment, she panicked, thinking perhaps the wizard had caught her. But then a soft voice said "It's okay, your safe here." She turned her head and saw a girl with blue hair smiling gently at her. The blue haired girl asked "How are you feeling?" The golden haired girl tried to answer, but found her throat was too dry. Thankfully her blue haired companion seemed to figure that out and reached for a glass sitting nearby, helping her to sit enough to drink it without choking on it.

Once that was done the girl said "I'm Wendy by the way. Did that help?" The girl rasped "Yes, thank you Wendy. I'm Lucy." Wendy smiled and said "Nice to meet you Lucy. Let me go get my mom real quick." Wendy was out of the room before Lucy could say another word, causing Lucy to give a small smile. She was soon back with, whom Lucy assumed, was her mother. "I'm Grandeeney. It's nice to meet you Lucy. How are you feeling?"

Lucy took a moment to take in what she was feeling before replying "Thirsty and a little tired, but other than that good." Grandeeney smiled and said "We can remedy that. Wendy, will you go and fetch another glass of water?" Wendy nodded and was out of the room in a dash, as Grandeeney turned to her and asked "What's the last thing you remember?"

Lucy frowned as she concentrated before replying, "I was being chased by a wizard and he had just summoned some wolves in front of me. Then just when it couldn't get any worse a dragon landed behind me. I admit it scared me terribly and I fainted. But why didn't the dragon hurt me?" Grandeeney seemed a little surprised, before answering "Well he brought you here to us. He stopped the wizard from taking you. Do you know why the wizard was chasing you?"

Surprise was on Lucy's face before she answered "I had escaped from them. They wanted to ransom me to my father, but we hadn't reached wherever they were taking me. I'm not sure if they were really going to return me to him after they got whatever it is they wanted, but I decided not to wait and find out. I spotted my opportunity to escape when we stopped for lunch and only one stayed to guard me while the other two went to water the unicorns. I ran towards the fields because I always heard they never entered them, but I was terrified to see this one did."

Grandeeney smiled at the girl and said "Well, when you are feeling rested we shall take you home to your father." Lucy smiled and said "Thank you Grandeeney." The dragon smiled and said, "My pleasure. Now, after Wendy gets back with the water, I want you to drink it and then get some rest." Lucy nodded and a few minutes later, Wendy returned with the water. Once drinking it, Lucy followed Grandeeney's order to get some rest.

The two left her to sleep, joining the rest of their family. "Looks like the wizards are up to their kidnapping ways again, Lucy said she was escaping from them when Natsu found them." Igneel frowned and said "They are getting bold, coming onto our lands. They know that they are welcome to come so long as it isn't in pursuit of one who can't fight back, I wonder why they made such an effort to get Lucy." Grandeeney shrugged and said "No idea. I promised her we would see her safely home after she felt rested." Igneel nodded and said "We'll all go, just in case. Best we all get some rest, we don't know how far we'll be journeying and we want to make as few stops as possible.

Everyone said goodnight and headed to bed, everyone but Natsu. He waited until he was sure he wouldn't get caught, then he snuck a peak at the girl he had rescued. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, a smile was even on her face. "She sure is pretty when she smiles." He thought, before gently closing the door and moving to do as his father said.

XXX

The next morning, Lucy was a little confused at first when she awoke. The bed was strange and she didn't recognize the room. Then the day before came flooding back to her and she couldn't help but worry that the woman, kind as she was, wouldn't return her to her father, at least without making her own demands. A girl with long, pale blond hair entered the room just then, interrupting her thoughts. "Oh good, your awake. Grandeeney asked me to check on you. I'm Mavis."

Lucy smiled and said "I'm Lucy." Mavis gave a smile that said I know, but instead said "If you're feeling up to it, we are just about ready to sit down to breakfast. We brought you a change of clothes since it seems yours got damaged in the time that the wizards had you." She held up a dress as she spoke. Lucy smiled and said "Thank you. I am feeling up to it, though I admit at feeling a little nervous, how many more of you are there left to meet?"

Mavis giggled and said "Well you have now met all the girls so that leaves Igneel, my husband Zeref and Natsu." Everyone had agreed to break it to Lucy slowly that they were all dragons. Lucy looked relieved, three more wasn't so bad. "Do you need any help?" Mavis asked. Lucy was about to say no, but the aching in her shoulders from where she had been pushed off her mount when the wizards stopped to rest told her otherwise. "I am a bit stiff, so if you don't mind I could use some." "Not a problem." Mavis answered.

A few minutes later, both girl's entered the dining room, drawing the attention of the rest of those gathered there. Grandeeney smiled and said "I'm glad you felt up to joining us Lucy. Allow me to introduce my husband, Igneel, and my sons, Zeref and Natsu." Lucy smiled and said hello to each of them, though her eyes rested longer on Natsu. Probably because she had felt them on her since she had entered the room.

He was attractive, she had to say and she didn't realize how long she had been staring, nor did she see the two sets of knowing eyes, until Mavis propelled her forward, motioning for her to take a seat next to Natsu. "Tell me Lucy, where do you live?" "Magnolia, is it far from here?" Lucy asked, thanking Wendy quietly for the food she passed to her. Zeref looked at his father and said "We'll have to fly if we want to be sure to avoid the wizards." "Oh, you have Pegasi?" Lucy asked, somewhat excitedly.

She missed the tense look the others shared at the table, as she had looked down at the food she was eating momentarily. "Ah, not quite." Mavis replied with a smile. Lucy looked up at her confusion, but Zeref, to take her mind off of the non-answer said "You've been way more quieter than usual Natsu, cat got your tongue?" Natsu glared at his brother and said "No I'm just hungry." "Oh, hungry for what?" Zeref question just quiet enough that Lucy couldn't hear what was asked.

Natsu blushed and said "Shut up Zeref, before I make you shut up." Lucy found herself surprisingly unalarmed at the threat of violence, probably because she could hear the love Natsu held for his brother in his voice. Zeref just smirked before moving the subject onto the safer topic of the weather. Grandeeney then sent the rest of her family out to get ready, deciding it would be best if she was the one to break the news to Lucy about they themselves being dragons.

Once her family was safely beyond the doors, Grandeeney turned to Lucy with a smile and said "Now Lucy, what I'm about to tell you may terrify you, but please know, you have nothing to fear." Lucy looked unsure, but nodded and said softly "Okay, what is it?" The dragon that saved you and brought you here? That would be my son, Natsu." Lucy's eyes widened in surprise as she asked "He's a dragon!? Wait wouldn't that make you…" "A dragon as well? You are correct, my whole family is made of dragons."

Lucy's eyes were practically bugging out of her head. All the tales she had heard of dragons painted them as mean and ruthless, the total opposite of this kind family that had not only helped her but wanted to help her more. "The tales you may have heard about our kind might be somewhat exaggerated, but we allow them to spread for it keeps those who could get harmed away from danger." Grandeeney stated.

"What danger?" asked Lucy. "The wizards that took and chased you? We have an uneasy truce with them, one that is growing more fragile by the minute. The field you ran into to be safe from them? They should have let you go according to their agreement with us, but they broke it. It wasn't the first time, but if things keep progressing the way they are, it will be one of the last." Grandeeney explained, "Which is why we need to get you home as fast as possible, to get you away from danger. That is why we must fly, which means we will be in our dragon forms."

Lucy surprised Grandeeney with her next question "Will you be okay if this war happens?" It touched the dragon to see a human care so much about one she had up until recently feared. "Do not worry about us. I don't know what the fates have planned for us, but I hope my family will make it through completely unscathed." Lucy looked down at the ground, she knew the likelihood of that happening was slim to none.

If Grandeeney had been surprised with Lucy's last question, she was shocked with the next. "Is there any way I can help?" Tears filled Grandeeney's eyes at the selflessness of the human girl, causing her to pull Lucy into a hug. Lucy was surprised, but returned it as the dragon said "As far as I know there isn't, but thank you for offering Lucy." Grandeeney pulled out of the hug, wiping her tears away and said "Now, we need to get going, shall we be off?"

XXX

It had taken Lucy a moment to take in the changes in the family she had come to know since waking up in their care. Granted that wasn't long, but it was time enough to get used to them as humans. But boy were their dragon forms something to behold. Natsu and his father both had red scales, Zeref had black and Mavis had off-white ones. Grandeeney had white ones, just like her hair and Wendy blue ones. Natsu was literally the only one out of the bunch whose scales didn't match his hair color in fact. "Lucy, you'll be riding Wendy, or if you feel safer she can carry you, and we'll be making a protective circle around you."

Lucy looked concerned and asked "Are things really that bad with the wizards?" Igneel raised an eyebrow at his wife, surprised she had told Lucy so much, but he answered her himself with "Not to alarm you, but yes. Plus we don't know why they kidnapped you and therefore we don't know how desperate they are to get you back." "They said they wanted to ransom me." Lucy said, rubbing both her upper arms at the memory of the wizards.

"Yes, but what was the thing they wished to ransom you for? It couldn't be money, they don't really have need of it." Mavis said gently, not wishing to make their new friend worry, but knowing she needed to be thinking so she could be better prepared if they did run into the wizards. "We need to get into the air and on our way." Zeref pointing out. Even with flying it would take them about three days to reach Magnolia, which means they had to stop at least twice between now and reaching there. It would be best if their first stop was as far from the wizards as possible.

The other dragons nodded and Wendy motioned for Lucy to crawl onto her back. Being a smaller dragon due to her age, she wasn't too much bigger than a Pegasus so it was easy for Lucy to climb onto her after she had knelt down. Lucy willing did, trusting Wendy would keep her safe. Igneel took the front, while Zeref and Mavis covered one side and Grandeeney the other, leaving Natsu to bring up the rear. Natsu didn't mind at all, in fact he found himself enjoying the view.

XXX

The made it to Magnolia without encountering any trouble, surprisingly. As Lucy led the now human dragons through town, Grandeeney and Igneel shared looks that were lost on the younger generation. They used to come here, once upon a time, and visit with their old friends… Lucy stopped in front of a house, a very familiar one. Grandeeney barely held back a gasp, her hand going to her mouth as sudden tears filled her eyes. She had thought Lucy looked familiar and now she knew why. Lucy said, "Come on, my dad will want to thank all of you."

Lucy opened the front door and saw her father bent over a table, looking at a map, worry evident in his eyes. "Dad!" Lucy exclaimed, rushing forward. Jude turned at the call of his daughter, happiness leaping into his eyes as he said "Lucy! Oh thank goodness you're safe." As he finished speaking, she reached him and father and daughter shared a hug. Finally she pulled back, saying "Dad, I want you to meet my rescuers."

Jude's eyes finally left his daughter and landed on the others who had followed her in, his eyes widening as he saw the two older ones. "Igneel, Grandeeney! It has been too long." Jude said, a happy smile filling his face. As all of the younger generation's faces showed their surprise, Igneel returned Jude's smile and said "That it has. You know Lucy looks so much like Layla, but we never dreamed she was her daughter." Jude's smile changed to one of fond remembrance, nodding his head with agreement to his first statement as Natsu cut in with "Hold up. You know Lucy's father?"

Grandeeney chuckled at her son's tone and answered "Yes, we used to visit with Jude and Layla all the time. Layla's family lived near mine when we were growing up and when they moved here we would try to come and see each other as often as we could. Though I admit, once I became pregnant with Zeref I never made the journey again until now. I was so sorry to hear about Layla." Jude's smile faltered somewhat, he had never gotten over his wife's death and probably never would, but he still managed to say "Thank you."

"Not to be rude or anything, but can you think of a reason why the wizards would have kidnapped Lucy? I mean granted the princess of this kingdom would have been a harder target but there are many other families, some with higher status even, that have children in this town, am I correct?" Zeref asked the question that had been bugging him since he saw where Lucy lived. Jude nodded and said "I have been wondering the same thing since I got the note saying they had her and they would contact me later. I think I know the answer now though."

"And, what is it?!" Natsu asked excitedly, his mother whispering at him to be patient. "Do you remember the gift you gave Layla all those years ago?" Jude asked rather than straight out answering Natsu's question. Grandeeney's eyes widened and she answered "I do, though I would have thought she would have used it to try to heal herself." "By the time we discovered her illness there wasn't anything that could have saved her, though we did enjoy our last few days together as a family." Jude replied, as everyone else besides Igneel looked at each other in confusion.

"Umm, what exactly are you talking about?" Wendy broke in quietly. "I gifted Layla one of my dragon scales." Grandeeney and understanding filled everyone's eyes, but Lucy. "Not to sound dumb or anything, but why would they want a scale?" Lucy asked. "A dragon scale, when freely given, holds powerful magic. It can cure many things, give the person a small control of magic and many other things. But the greatest gift it can bestow is it can make a human or any other species turn into a dragon if they so desire." Zeref answered, "That's how Mavis is one. She was a fairy before."

Lucy's eyes widened as she looked at Mavis who smiled and picked up where Zeref left off "Zeref gave me one of his. The scale's magic is strongest when its interacting with the person its gifted too, but even if someone else were to use it, the potential to turn into a dragon is still there." She frowned as she continued "Which could lead to a problem. See, I still have the ability to use my fairy magic, mine was just in making illusions which I would do to entertain the others, but if the most powerful wizard got ahold of it and was able to turn themselves into a dragon, while their dragon strength wouldn't be as strong as that of one who had gotten the scale directly from the dragon, they would still be a very dangerous foe."

As Lucy took this all in, Jude said "I hope that now that you've come all this way that you'll stay for a few days so we can get caught up." Igneel and Grandeeney shared a look before Igneel smiled and said "We would love to." Lucy smiled and said "Great! I can show you guys around town while they get reacquainted." "Why don't you run down to the baker and get some bread Lucy and we'll have lunch. Then you can go explore the town together." Jude spoke up.

Lucy nodded and said "Okay." She started heading for the door before Natsu called "Hey wait up!" Lucy waited a moment for him to make the few quick steps it took to reach her side. "You don't have to come with me Natsu, it's literally just down the road." "What if the wizards come back? You'll need someone to protect you!" Natsu declared. They bantered lightly with each other as they walked out the door. Wendy started playing with the family cat, Happy, who had made an appearance a few minutes ago while the other five occupants of the room sat around the table.

"I think Natsu is smitten with Lucy." Igneel said with a chuckle. Jude nodded a smile on his face as Grandeeney said with a serious face "Natsu isn't wrong though. The wizards could come back. Jude, with your permission I would like to give Lucy the scale. It may make her a bit more of a target, but the magic could also help protect her." Jude hesitated before agreeing "Okay, but please, ask her not to use the qualities that make her into a dragon. I don't want her having to deal with the wizards on a more regular basis."

Grandeeney nodded and the talk shifted to other things for a few minutes before Lucy and Natsu returned with the bread. Jude left to get the scale while Lucy started on the meal with the help of Wendy. Her father returned and slipped the scale to Grandeeney who decided to give it to Lucy out of Natsu's presence, he might get excited and want her to use the dragon side of the scale. After lunch, she found an opportunity while Jude showed everyone else to their rooms, she offered to help Lucy clean up the lunch dishes.

Once they were alone, Grandeeney said "Lucy, I asked your father if his was okay and he agreed. I want to give you my scale, the same one I gave your mother. Your father asked me to ask you not to use the magic that lets you become a dragon. That change will be permanent and, as you can see, while you can still take on a human form once becoming one, it's hard to stay comfortable in it after a few days. And, as you can tell from the tales you heard all your life, people here and in many human villages don't think kindly of dragons. If you happened to get spotted while flying about and they caught you in your human form, it would be easy for them to kill you. I know your father couldn't bear to lose you, so please, unless the situation is dire, don't use the scale's dragon magic."

Lucy nodded and promised solemnly that she would listen to the request. Then Grandeeney put it in Lucy's hand, pulling a bit of the magic from the scale and touching it to Lucy's other hand. "There. It is now bound to you. It will make you more of a target once the wizards hear that the ownership of the scale belongs to you and make no mistake they will learn somehow that it does, probably by using magic to spy on you or the scale, but it will also protect you from magic spells to some extent. Only magic that can hurt or disable a dragon can hurt you and thankfully there are few that can master it. The scale doesn't need to be on your person to work, but sometimes its easier to keep things safe when you can keep an eye on it, though that is up to you."

Lucy gripped the scale tightly in her hand and said "I'll do my best to keep it from their control." Grandeeney smiled and said "I know you will." They heard Natsu and the others coming down the stairs just then and Grandeeney watched with a pleased expression as Lucy slipped the scale into her satchel at her side. The less people or even dragons who knew she had it, the better. "Are you ready to go Lucy?" Natsu asked excitedly. Lucy looked at the dishes that still remained and was about to say that she would be a few more minutes, but Grandeeney shooed her from the room and said "Igneel and Jude can help me with this, go on now."

XXX

The Dragneel family stayed for almost a week with the Heartfilia family. Lucy showed her new friends all the fun sights of Magnolia and introduced them to a few of her friends, Flare and Michelle who joined them on their adventures when they could. Soon it was time for them to leave and Lucy found it hard to say goodbye to all of them, though for some reason, Natsu's goodbye was the hardest to take.

XXX

A few months had past and Lucy had kept in touch with the Dragneel family as much as she could. She sent letters that were to all of them, with little messages for each family member as she thought of something that they would find interesting. The only one who received one each time was Natsu, something his family teased him about, though not unkindly.

The light heartedness of the letters soon changed. Frustrated at having lost their chance at easily acquiring the dragon scale, the wizards had declared war on the dragons. Wendy had been the main writer of news of what was going on with on their side, though Natsu also kept her pretty up to date on things he would also try to shield her from the worst of it. Wendy however would tell her exactly what was going on.

She told Lucy of how many of their dragon kin and friends had shown up, about a handsome young dragon named Romeo in particular she would write about often. But she also told Lucy how hard things were going. Dragons were powerful after all, but the wizards weren't weak and many knew the magic it took to hurt a dragon, so the chances of someone coming back from the battlefield each day with a new injury was high. Wendy and her mother didn't see much of the fighting, they were kept back so as to be sure to have someone who could heal the others, but every so often they had to go to the frontlines if the injury was too great to risk moving and Wendy wrote how the experience always left her frightened for her family.

After one upsetting letter in particular, where Wendy told about a serious injury Natsu had sustained and he hadn't made any mention of it at all, Lucy went to her father. "Dad, what I'm going to ask of you will be really hard for you, for both of us, but I need your permission to feel right in continuing forward with it." She said when she found him in the sitting room. Jude knew whatever she was going to ask he wasn't going to like but he motioned for her to sit as he said to her "Go on."

Lucy hesitated before saying "I want to have your permission to use the dragon magic. I want to go and help my friends." To say he hadn't been expecting Lucy to make this request would have been a lie. Not only did he know how much Lucy loved to help her friends, but he knew how fond she had grown of Natsu. He didn't answer right away, he looked at the portrait of Layla, as if seeking her advice. Perhaps he was.

Finally he turned back to Lucy and said "Okay, but promise me you will be careful. I know you can't promise me you'll be safe, not with what you are heading into, but you can promise me that much." Lucy stood up and walked over to her father, bending over to give him a hug as she said "I promise. Thanks Dad." Jude didn't say anything, just squeezed his daughter a little harder before pulling back from the hug, wiping away a few tears as he said "Now from what I understand we'll want to go outside of the city before you use that. Let's go rent a couple of unicorns."

A half hour later, Jude declared them a safe enough distance for Lucy to get off her unicorn and make the magic work. "What do I do, do you know?" Lucy asked him. From what I can remember of what she told your mother, you hold the scale in your hands and squeeze it tightly as you say 'I accept the dragon's most precious gift completely' and that will begin the process." Lucy nodded and took a few more steps away from her father to be sure he wouldn't get hurt before saying "I accept the dragon's most precious gift completely."

A bright light surrounded her, one so blinding that Jude had to cover his eyes and look away. If he had been able to watch, he would have seen the light grow bigger as Lucy took her dragon form. The unicorns did not startle, they recognized the ancient magic and stood there witnessing the magic that few had ever been deemed worthy to receive. As the light faded, Jude turned his eyes back at his daughter, smiling at her new form as he said "You look beautiful Lucy."

Her main scales, just like all her friends, were the same color as her friends. Hers, however, were also peppered with a few splashes of light pink dots, a pink color that was very familiar to daughter and father. "Take your time and get used to your new form, you don't want it causing your friends to get injured in battle in them trying to come to your rescue." Jude said. Lucy said "I will." She gave a few experimental flaps of her wings, checking to see if she really knew how to control them.

Then she wrapped her neck around her father in a hug and said "I miss you already." "Me too. I think it's time I moved out of that house. As soon as I can set everything here in order, I'll move as close to you as the dragons will allow." Jude promised. Lucy's eyes filled with unshed tears as she said "I look forward to it." Then she backed away from her father and, with a few strong flaps, lifted into the air. She knew she had a three day journey ahead of her, plenty of time to get used to her new form and hopefully lend a helping hand to her friends once she arrived.

XXX

Natsu panted as he fended off another powerful wizard's spell. Day after day it was the same thing and never a break except for when he tumbled into bed at night. Would this war ever end? Why did the wizards want the power so bad that if they didn't get it they would throw a fit about it? Scars riddled his body from close calls and unavoidable attacks. He wished for a time of peace, if just so he could go and visit Lucy again. She had haunted his dreams almost every night since he had first met her, no matter how exhausted he was his mind would always give him at least a moment with her each night.

"Take it easy Natsu, I know your mother and sister healed you but that wound you got was serious and is still healing." Zeref said as he landed at his side, blocking a few attacks so his brother could catch his breath. "I can't stop now Zeref, these wizards are relentless! If only we could take out Acnologia." Natsu panted, though he was grateful for the brief respite his brother gave him for his still aching side. Zeref growled and said "You can be sure if he shows his face on the battlefield there isn't a dragon here who isn't ready to pounce on him. The wizard would surely lose all their moral if he fell."

Natsu merely nodded, his breathing almost evening out before he asked "Has Mavis come up with a plan to draw him out yet?" Zeref shook his head as he added "Not for a lack of trying though." Natsu sighed. Mavis was their greatest tactician, if anyone could come up with a plan it would be her. But what if she couldn't? He stopped his thoughts from going down the dark path that line of questioning would take him as his brother's claw came to rest on his shoulder.

"Promise me at least that you'll take a break for lunch." Zeref demanded. Natsu knew that it wasn't a request, but an order so he rolled his eyes and said "Yeah, okay." Zeref nodded before heading off to the next fight. Natsu narrowed his eyes at his next target and lunged… only to be knocked sideways by a flash of yellow and pink, causing him to roll with whoever had ran into him. Zeref's eyes widened as a loud boom came from where he had just left Natsu, but turning he saw he had been knocked to safety by an unfamiliar dragon.

Natsu and the unknown dragon both had turned wide eyes to see the very spot he had been standing in just seconds earlier had been decimated by a wizard who had gotten the drop on him by coming up sneakily on his side as both he and his brother were distracted with ones in different directions. His cousin, Gajeel, made quick work of the wizard that had foolishly stuck around after watching his plans get shattered by the unnoticed dragon. With everything under control for a second, Natsu and the mysterious dragon turned to look at each other.

"Thank yo…" Natsu stopped mid-sentence as a very familiar pair of brown eyes looked into his. "Lucy!?" he exclaimed. Suddenly, Zeref's suggestion to stop for lunch didn't seem like a bad idea.

XXX

Natsu led Lucy to the back of the lines where the fighters went to grab a quick bite and where the wounded were healed. Natsu's mind was running a mile a minute. Lucy was here and she was a dragon!? Did that mean… "Did you use my mother's scale?" he asked as soon as they were a safe distance from the fighting. Lucy nodded and said "The same day we arrived at my home she gifted it to me for both the scale and my protection. I promised her, since my father asked it of her, to not use the scale unless the situation was dire."

Natsu smirked and said "Not that I'm not thrilled to see you or anything, but was the situation really that dire?" Lucy didn't return his carefree response, instead she said "Wendy has been keeping me updated on what's been happening here, about your injuries and such. And I think the scene I came in on is evidence enough that the situation was dire enough for me to resort to it." Before Natsu could protest however, Lucy leaned in close to his ear and whispered "Besides, I missed you."

Natsu blushed as much as his scales would let him as he replied softly "I missed you too." By this time they had reached the tent where the food was and Natsu led Lucy inside, shifting into their human forms as they did so. Mavis had commandeered one of the tables for her planning purposes and everyone knew it was best to give her a wide berth. They were in time to witness her growl and unceremoniously whack some pieces of the table.

"If your plan is to punch them out, why didn't you say so, I could have done that long ago." Natsu teased her. Mavis looked up, not in the mood for his flippant attitude and ready to rip into him when her eyes landed on Lucy. Mavis jumped over the table and pulled her friend into a hug as she said "Lucy! What brings you here at such a time as this?" "Saving Natsu's butt." Lucy replied, earning a confused look from Mavis and an annoyed look from Natsu.

Lucy laughed and explained that she had used the scale and how she had rescued Natsu upon her arrival. Mavis looked thoughtful and said "I think I may just have a plan, just give me a little while to ensure I've got all the snares out of it." She turned abruptly back to the table leaving a slightly confused Lucy in her wake, one which Natsu pulled towards food as he said "Don't worry, Mavis has been trying to figure out how to get Acnologia, the leader of the wizards, to come out in the open. Let's eat."

XXX

That night, Mavis stood in a group of dragons that included her family, Lucy and many of their extended family and friends. "I think I know how to get Acnologia out in the open. We'll need a replica scale or one as close to Grandeeney's coloring that has fallen from one of the wounded and we're going to need Lucy in her human form." Mavis started, "Lucy will go out there, under a white flag and say that she has the scale with her. Acnologia won't know that she has already used the scale and at this point I'm hoping he won't trust his men enough to get it for him but rather come out himself."

"You want Lucy to go out there to meet Acnologia?" Igneel asked as Mavis nodded and Sting, a pure white dragon spoke up and asked "Isn't that kind of dangerous? Besides, what good will it do if he comes out under the white flag? We can't attack him then." Mavis turned to Lucy and said "It will be dangerous, I'm afraid there is no way around that. I'm hoping that once he realizes it's a fake that he will attempt to make the first strike. If he does, then we have every right to not only defend ourselves, but to take him down. If he doesn't, well we can keep our eye on him and know where he is at least."

"What you're saying put's Lucy at the heart of the danger." Grandeeney started speaking, before Natsu interrupted and said "No way! Can't you just use your magic to make a projection of her?" Mavis shook her head and said "My magic doesn't work on those who understand it, which Acnologia does, remember we tried using it at the start of all this to bring it to a switch end. He saw right through it." Natsu was about to say more when Lucy put a hand on his arm, effectively shutting him up and surprising all but his immediate family that she was able to do so.

"I understand the risks, but I came here to help put an end to this war. I want to do it." Lucy said, more for Natsu's sake then any of the others. Natsu frowned and finally said "Fine, but I'm going out there too, no way am I letting you go alone." Understanding dawned on the non-immediate family members and Gajeel snickered to himself as he thought about all the teasing he was going to do to Natsu when this was over.

"Having someone go out there with her was a part of my plan, so yes Natsu you can go." Mavis said, "The rest of us will be watching and waiting to move where needed. If this works, the war could be over tomorrow." With those words, everyone left the circle, everyone but Natsu and Lucy. A few of the others, mainly those who wanted to tease Natsu about liking Lucy, would have stayed behind but Igneel and Grandeeney helped the pair gain the privacy they needed.

Lucy looked Natsu firmly in the eyes and said "Don't even try to tell me that I shouldn't be doing this." Natsu sighed and said "As much as I want to, I won't. Acnologia will probably only come out if someone from the family he knows has the scale goes out there. Just promise me that if I say run you'll do it." Lucy nodded, her eyes softening as she could see how worried he was about this, saying "I promise." Natsu pulled her into a hug and she returned it, neither of them speaking for a while.

Natsu was the first to break the silence by asking "You know how important you are to me, right?" Lucy said "As important as you are to me." Natsu chuckled and pulled back, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Go get some rest Luce. Tomorrow will be a long day."

XXX

Lucy stood on the edge of the battlefield, holding the white flag in one hand and the dead scale in the other. She had learned that in order to be able to give the scale it had to be plucked from the dragon directly, a scale that was shed had no magic in it. Natsu had wanted to go with her in dragon form, but Mavis told him it was human form or he wasn't going, so he stood, sulking in his human form. At a sign of a white flag on the opposite end of the battlefield, Lucy and Natsu started walking towards the center.

Mavis had described what Acnologia looked like according to their sources and, as they drew closer, both were sure that it was Acnologia himself that had come out to meet them. Natsu stopped at the designated distance for those who went out to guard those with the white flag, whoever Acnologia had brought doing the same. It irked Natsu that he couldn't be right beside Lucy, but he did as he was told.

Once both Acnologia and Lucy had stopped walking, Lucy said "I am Lucy Heartfilia and I have brought the scale just as the message that was sent earlier this morning said I would." Acnologia's eyes lit up at the sight of the scale, but he calmly asked "Why do you bring it now?" Lucy answered "It was bad enough when I was kidnapped so you could ransom me for it, I won't stand by and watch anymore of my friends get hurt when I have the power to put an end to all of this."

Acnologia smirked and said "A wise move. Hand it over." Lucy stepped forward, sliding the scale into his hand. One of the dragon's had imbued a little magic power onto it, enough to hopefully get Lucy far enough away from Acnologia's grabbing distance. It worked, but just barely, as Acnologia let out a growled "What sort of trickery is this, there is no magic in this scale!?" "That scale was given to my family by Grandeeney herself, I know not what you speak of." Lucy said, and she wasn't lying as Grandeeney had handed her the scale this morning.

"It's a fake! You will pay for this!" Acnologia's rage got the better of him and he lunged at Lucy, magic at the ready when he was blocked by Natsu's dragon claws, having shifted the moment he had yelled about it being a fake. How other claw grabbed Lucy and he lifted them into the air as Acnologia shot different kinds of magic at them. Perhaps the person he had chosen was a coward or very wise, for rather than help Acnologia he ran back towards their own lines as dozen of dragons leapt upon their leader.

Acnologia was soon subdued and brought before the dragon leaders, one of which was Igneel. "You moved to attack the one holding the white flag and have therefore forfeited your rights to return to your people. Weisslogia and Skiadrum will take charge of you until your fate is decided." The two dragon siblings nodded and moved off with the prisoner, whose magic had been suppressed by another dragon. Lucy, having switched into her dragon form once safely lifted into the air by Natsu, and Natsu landed near his family.

"I'm not taking part in deciding his fate, I'm too close to the subject of it all, but it looks like you were right Mavis. With Acnologia gone, the wizards lost their moral." Igneel said, looking out on the field as yet another white flag made its way across, this one with an admission of defeat being brought along. Mavis smiled and said "I'm glad it worked." "Tonight, we'll celebrate, but for now why don't we all just go and take a break." Grandeeney said with a smile. Everyone agreed and moved off to be with the one they loved.

Natsu and Lucy were no different. They walked along in their dragon forms for a bit, stopping by a small lake that Natsu ran into, enjoying the cool relief it brought too many of his still healing wounds. Lucy joined him and Natsu turned to her saying "You know, I never did tell you how much I loved your scales. I've rarely seen a dragon with more than one color on it and it's even rarer for them to be so different from the main color. You look beautiful Lucy."

Lucy giggled nervously as she said "Thanks Natsu." She nuzzled into his neck and he did the same, each just happy to be in the other's company. After a few minutes he said "I know this might be moving kind of fast, but I love you Lucy. I have ever since I first laid eyes on you." Lucy blushed, her yellow scales on her cheeks pinking as she said "I love you too Natsu." Both switched into their human form, forgetting how the deep the water was and momentarily going under before they bobbed to the surface gasping for air.

After a moment, they started laughing before claiming each other's lips in a kiss.


End file.
